


A little stone, a heartbeat

by 35391291



Series: Lingering and lost [3]
Category: The Magnificent Seven (2016)
Genre: Cartomancy, Dreamscapes, Folklore, Gen, M/M, Magic, Sentient Nature, Supernatural Elements, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 22:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13797420
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/35391291/pseuds/35391291
Summary: This dream, this spell, it makes sense. Maybe there is something perfect about standing still and being here, right where he belongs.This is his world now. This is where he'll make his home.





	A little stone, a heartbeat

**Author's Note:**

> This story was inspired by one of the prompts for Mag7Weekend: In another life, and (once again) by Bekah's [amazing time travel AU.](http://awesomemixvolume-2.tumblr.com/post/164422935457/mag7-time-traveler-au)

he said "I know these shores are not like yours  
but will you make your home in my arms?"

\- Tori Amos: [Selkie](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DqVyYf9Bp8).

*

Once again, as usual. After the flickering flame, after the ashes and the smoke, the world moves forward. And time stands still, and then it doesn't. It's quick like a heartbeat, like the blink of an eye. And it's slow, like a dream. It's new, but still familiar. And it's still a funny thing.

Faraday doesn't have much now. Truth be told, he never does. But this time around, it matters. Time moves forward, and he keeps walking. There is an open road ahead. The sea is near, and the sea calls him. There is something here, somewhere in the depth. Here, in the air, is the spirit of something he knew. He doesn't remember yet, but these were his words. And this was his world. Once, long ago. Maybe he walked here. Maybe he knew something.

And maybe he forgot.

He knows he's taken too many wrong turns. He isn't perfect. He isn't even good enough. It's been too many years, too many mistakes, too many nights of running away. But maybe there is something he can do. There is still something inside him, some words he has to say. He has to try again. He needs something to offer.

He takes a deep breath and opens his eyes. And then, he remembers. There is a question. And there is an answer out there, barely out of reach. He feels it. He hears it in the wind, at midnight. It's like a little prayer, long lost, warm and brown and green like the earth. A little stone, a heartbeat. A spell like a deep breath, as right as a dream. It's something else, something more.

One day, he was here. And then he was someplace else. He isn't sure how this came to be. It's unknown, different. But maybe, it's the same. And it is so simple. This is the world, this time around. It's him and his cards. And Vasquez and _his_ cards now. That little red deck of his, it still tells him something more, each time. He still asks questions, even if he already knows the answers. They speak, sometimes with words, sometimes with cards. It's like their own secret language. It's comforting, it's right, and he holds on to it. He doesn't know _how_. But he knows what he meant. _I walk with you now. I know._

The past is behind him. It doesn't belong to him anymore. It's a bit like the rain, a bit like the sea. He knows that this forever might still not exist, but it's still a promise. And it hides in his hands. It's safe, like a secret. And all these words that once lived in his mouth, maybe they can be free now. They are the long lost spell and the prayer. Someone will listen. Someone will feel it. And someone will know. This dream, this spell, it makes sense. Maybe there is something perfect about standing still and being here, right where he belongs. This is his world now. This is where he'll make his home.

Year after year, time after time, the world moves. He doesn't fall. But he falls into this dream. Perfectly. He is always ready to make a bet. But this is not a gamble. It's an offer. Maybe he finally has something to give. He will hand his life over. If there is someone out there, he will hand it over. And maybe he can stay here.

The sea makes a new skin for him, and he is someone else. But he is the same. He might hide, but the world still sees him. It moves forward, in the waves, in the wings of the air. And it sends him dreams. It _shows_ him, it wants him to know. _What do you see now? Can you read it in the water? Can you feel it in the air?_ He listens, and he can see. There are little mirrors everywhere, and he knows.

Once again, as usual, the sky is wild red fire, the world alight with love. And tonight, for the first time, he might be enough. He looks out, and he leaves his bells and offerings. And he speaks to the sea, and he asks. He doesn't know what for, but he asks. He left something behind, and the sea remembered. It kept him safe. And then, the world heard him. It saw his empty hands, and they were enough. The world knew, and it gave him something. It tied his heart to something else.


End file.
